Vivre sa vie

Vivre sa vie; art-film / drama, France, 1962; D: Jean-Luc Godard, S: Anna Karina, Saddy Rebbot, André S. Labarthe, Guylaine Schlumberger

Nana Kleinfrankenheim works as a cashier in a records store. After the end of her relationship with Paul, she remains without an apartment because she lacks 2,000 Fran. An unknown lad who introduces himself as a producer buys her a ticket for the cinema. Nana meets the pimp Raoul who hires her as a prostitute. She meets a bunch of interesting people, but Raoul decides to sell her. He demands a higher price so she gets killed by criminals.

"Vivre sa vie" is an untypically serious art-drama for stylishly playful director Jean-Luc Godard, but unfortunately, again typically too artificial for him to seem real. Divided into 12 chapters, this art-drama isn't as inventive as Godard's own "2 or 3 Things I Know About Her" which also dealt with the issue of a girl who turns to prostitution to get some money, though its filled with suggestive direction. In the 5 minutes long opening the camera films Nana and her boyfriend, who are sitting in a cafe, from their backs, not showing their faces while they are talking, to symbolize their cold and informal relationship. Even more demanding is the scene that shows a paper on which she is slowly writing, so the viewers have to patiently wait and read word for word of her composing letter, whereas some dialogue is also original ("Would you borrow me 2,000 Francs?" - "I would. But I don't have any."). The most bizarre and inspiring scene is when she talks with a man, but due to music nothing can be heard, thus their dialogues are written as subtitles. It's another cold, hermetic and distant film-essay by Godard, though movie buffs will be satisfied. 

Grade:+++